Coronavirus Update 10-25-2021: Lawsuits challenging employer vaccine mandates are borderline frivolous

More than 130 employees of the City of Chicago have filed a lawsuit against their employer challenging its Covid-19 vaccine mandate. CNN has the details:

"The mandate, and the Executive Orders, violate the constitutional and fundamental rights of those who either choose not to be vaccinated, or choose not to disclose their vaccination status to either the state, or their employers," the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit will fail. Period.

WIRTW #601: the “What’s in your queue?” edition

Ted Lasso has no new episodes until next August. I binged Squid Game a couple of weeks ago. I need something new to fill my nights on the couch. So this is me, crowdsourcing you, my readers, for some recommendations. 

What should I watch next, and, most importantly, why? 

Make your best case in the comments below, tag me on Twitter with the hashtag #JonWatchThis, or drop a comment on LinkedIn here.

Here are the best things I read online this past week that I think you should be reading, too.

Coronavirus Update 10-21-2021: Nick Rolovich v. Pope Francis

Compare the following two statements, and then let's talk.

1. "It is a tragic and damning commentary on our culture … that Coach Rolovich has been derided, demonized, and ultimately fired from his job, merely for being devout in his Catholic faith."

2. "Being vaccinated with vaccines authorized by the competent authorities is an act of love. And contributing to ensure the majority of people are vaccinated is an act of love."

Statement number one: the lawyer for Nick Rolovich, the former head football coach at Washington State University, who the University just terminated for refusing to get vaccinated pursuant to its mandate.

Statement number two: Pope Francis.

Coronavirus Update 10-20-2021: How to spot a fake vaccine card

The NHL has suspended San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane 21 games for violating the League's Covid-19 protocol. His offense: supplying a fake vaccination card. 

Fake vaccine cards are out in the world, easy to find, and easy to use. Their use is also a federal crime punishable by up to 5 years in prison and grounds for termination of employment. Yet, as workplace vaccine mandates become more prevalent (and soon federally mandated), more anti-vax and vaccine-hesitant employees will take the risk instead of losing their jobs.

Do you know how to spot a fake vaccine card? Here are some telltale signs.

“Striketober” highlights union organizing concerns for Ohio craft breweries

One of the unexpected byproducts of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic is a corresponding rise in union organizing and other union-related activity. This crisis has magnified attention on key union agenda items and talking points such as worker safety and higher pay. Unions have not been shy about pressing these issues. "Striketober" is in full effect, with more than 100,000 workers walking off the job in the past week alone. According to The Wall Street Journal, employees are angry and are increasingly turning to labor unions to vent.

Unions, however, are not just focusing on current members. More importantly for all employers, potential members also have unions' full attention. Indeed, earlier this summer, and hitting way too close to home, production employees at Great Lakes Brewing Company, Ohio's oldest and largest craft brewery, signed union cards to be represented by the United Steelworkers.

Netflix’s termination of the organizer of a trans employee walkout very well might be legal

Late Friday, The Verge reported that Netflix fired one of the leaders of an internal trans employee resource group who was organizing an employee walkout later this week. The employee had been encouraging trans employees and allies to walk off the job in protest of Netflix's handling of the Dave Chappelle special The Closer (in which the comedian and the streamer have been criticized for the special's transphobic content).

According to the report, Netflix fired the employee based on its suspicion that s/he leaked confidential metrics on the Chappelle Special to Bloomberg, including how much Netflix paid for it and how many have streamed it.

UPDATE: HIPAA (mis)information and the Covid vaccine

Earlier this week I wrote about a national payroll provider that shared some very incorrect information about an employer’s HIPAA responsibilities on its website.

That company, ADP, saw my post and reached out to me to let me know that they updated their article.

“I saw your blog that highlighted an oversight from one of our writers on our Spark Blog. It was good to see in that we were able to correct it immediately.”

(Sadly, the Oxford comma omission persists, but I’ll take my victories where I can get them.)

You can find their updated article here. 

Well played, ADP. 👏